1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday in the Gregorian calendar.
| Millennium: | 2nd millennium |
|---|---|
| Centuries: | 19th century – 20th century – 21st century |
| Decades: | 1950s 1960s 1970s – 1980s – 1990s 2000s 2010s |
| Years: | 1978 1979 1980 – 1981 – 1982 1983 1984 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to 1981.
Events
change- January 20 – Hostages from the Iran hostage crisis are released at the same time when Ronald Reagan is inaugurated for the first time as President of the United States.
- January 21 – The first DeLorean automotive is released in Northern Ireland.
- January 27 – The Indonesian passenger ship Tamponas 2 catches fire and capsizes in the Java Sea, killing 580.
- January 29 – Adolfo Suárez resigns as Prime Minister of Spain.
- February 4 – Gro Harlem Brundtland becomes Prime Minister of Norway.
- February 8 – Polish Prime Minister Józef Pinkowski resigns and is replaced by General Wojciech Jaruzelski.
- February 14 – The Stardust Nightclub Fire in Dublin, Ireland kills 48 people in the deadliest fire in the country's history.
- February 25 – Adolfo Suárez leaves his office as Prime Minister of Spain.
- March 30 – Shortly after being inaugurated, John Hinckley, Jr. tries to assassinate President Ronald Reagan. He survives the attack.
- May 11 – Jamaican singer Bob Marley dies from cancer at the age of 36.
- July 9 - Donkey Kong, a Nintendo arcade game, was released in Japan
- July 16 - Mahathir Mohamad becomes Prime Minister of Malaysia, serving until October 31, 2003.
- July 29 – Lady Diana Spencer marries Charles, Prince of Wales.
- September – Little Miss Bossy, the first book in the Little Miss series (the female counterpart to the Mr. Men series) is first published.
- November 9 – Céline Dion's first album is released in Canada.
Births
change- January 4 – Alicia Keys, American singer
- January 28 – Elijah Wood, American actor
- January 31 – Justin Timberlake, American singer and actor
- February 11 – Kelly Rowland, American singer
- February 24 – Lleyton Hewitt, Australian tennis player
- March 3 – Justin Gabriel, South African professional wrestler
- April 28 – Jessica Alba, actress
- June 5 – Sebastien Lefebvre, Canadian Musician-Simple Plan
- June 7 – Anna Kournikova, Russian tennis player
- June 9 – Natalie Portman, Israeli actress
- July 30 – Hope Solo, American goal keeper
- August 8 – Roger Federer, Swiss tennis player
- September 4 – Beyoncé Knowles, American singer and actress
- September 8 – Jonathan Taylor Thomas, American actor
- September 26 – Serena Williams, American tennis player
- October 31 – Frank Iero MCR
- December 2 – Britney Spears, American singer and actress
- December 27 – Patrick Sharp, Canadian professional ice hockey player
Deaths
changeJanuary
change
- January 5 – Harold Urey, American physical chemist (b. 1893)
- January 10 – Richard Boone, American actor (b. 1917)
- January 11 – Beulah Bondi, American actress (b. 1888)
- January 16 – Bernard Lee, English actor (b. 1908)
- January 23 – Samuel Barber, American composer (b. 1910)
- January 25 – Adele Astaire, American dancer and entertainer (b. 1896)
February
change.jpg)
- February 9 – Bill Haley, American rock and roll music pioneer (b. 1925)
- February 18 – Ibrahim Abdel Hady Pasha, Prime Minister of Egypt (b. 1896)
- February 26 - Howard Hanson, American composer (b. 1896)
March
change
- March 1 – Roberto Francisco Chiari Remon, 31st President of Panama (b. 1905)
- March 4 – Torin Thatcher, British actor (b. 1905)
- March 9 – Max Delbrück, German-American biophysicist (b. 1906)
- March 22 – John S. McCain Jr., United States Navy admiral (b. 1911)
April
change
May
change
- May 3 – Nargis, Indian actress (b. 1929)
- May 11 – Bob Marley, Jamaican reggae musician (b. 1945)
- May 18 – Arthur O'Connell, American actor, acting on stage, film and television (b. 1908)
- May 28 – Stefan Wyszyński, Polish Roman Catholic cardinal (b. 1901)
- May 29 – Soong Ching-ling, Chinese political figure and spouse of Sun Yat-sen (d. 1893)
- May 30 – Sven Andersson, Swedish footballer (b. 1907)
- May 30 – Ziaur Rahman, President of Bangladesh (b. 1936)
- May 31 – Gyula Lóránt, Hungarian footballer (b. 1923)
- May 31 – Giuseppe Pella, Prime Minister of Italy (b. 1902)
June
change
- June 9 – Allen Ludden, American game show host (b. 1917)
- June 23 – Zarah Leander, Swedish actress and singer (b. 1907)
- June 28 – Terry Fox, Canadian athlete and cancer activist (b. 1958)
July
change
- July 3 – Ross Martin, Polish-born American radio, stage, film and television actor (b. 1920)
- July 7 – Qahtan Muhammad al-Shaabi, President of South Yemen (b. 1920)
- July 27 – William Wyler, French-American director, producer and screenwriter (b. 1902)
- July 29 – Robert Moses, American urban planner (b. 1888)
August
change
- August 1 – Paddy Chayefsky, American playwright, screenwriter and novelist (b. 1923)
- August 4 – Melvyn Douglas, American actor (b. 1901)
- August 28 – Béla Guttmann, Hungarian footballer and manager (b. 1899)
- August 30 – Mohammad-Ali Rajai, President of Iran (b. 1933)
- August 30 – Mohammad Javad Bahonar, Prime Minister of Iran (b. 1933)
- August 30 – Vera-Ellen, American actress (b. 1921)
September
change
- September 1 – Albert Speer, German architect (b. 1905)
- September 8 – Nisargadatta Maharaj, Indian guru (b. 1897)
- September 23 – Chief Dan George, Chief of the Tsleil-Waututh Nation (b. 1899)
- September 27 – Robert Montgomery, American actor (b. 1904)
- September 28 – Rómulo Betancourt, 47th & 54th President of Venezuela (b. 1908)
- September 29 – Bill Shankly, Scottish football manager (b. 1913)
October
change
- October 5 - Gloria Grahame, American actress (b. 1923)
- October 6 – Anwar Sadat, 3rd President of Egypt (b. 1918)
- October 16 - Moshe Dayan, Israeli general (b. 1915)
- October 19 – Dan Coe, Romanian footballer (b. 1941)
- October 24 - Edith Head, American costume designer (b. 1897)
November
change
- November 5 – Rangjung Rigpe Dorje, 16th Karmapa (b. 1924)
- November 7 – Will Durant, American historian, philosopher and writer (b. 1885)
- November 12 – William Holden, American actor (b. 1918)
- November 25 - Jack Albertson, American actor, singer, comedian, musician, and dancer (b. 1907)
- November 29 – Natalie Wood, American actress (b. 1938)
December
change
Movies released
change- Absence of Malice
- An American Werewolf in London
- Any Which Way You Can
- Arthur
- The Boat Is Full
- Bustin' Loose
- Chariots of Fire
- Escape to Victory
- Excalibur
- For Your Eyes Only
- The Four Seasons
- The Fox and the Hound
- The French Lieutenant's Woman
- Friday the 13th, Part 2
- The Great Muppet Caper
- Halloween II
- Heaven's Gate
- Mommie Dearest
- Omen III: The Final Conflict
- On Golden Pond
- Only When I Laugh
- Pennies From Heaven
- Pixote
- Quest For Fire
- Ragtime
- Raiders of the Lost Ark
- Reds
- Sogni d'oro
- Stevie
- Stripes
- Superman II
- Tarzan, the Ape Man
- They Don't Wear Black Tie
Hit songs
change- "The Tide Is High" – Blondie
- "Celebration" – Kool & The Gang (2)
- "9 To 5" – Dolly Parton (2)
- "I Love A Rainy Night" – Eddie Rabbitt (2)
- "Keep On Loving You" REO Speedwagon (1)
- "Rapture" – Blondie (2)
- "Kiss On My List" – Daryl Hall & John Oates (3)
- "Morning Train (9 To 5)" – Sheena Easton
- "Bette Davis Eyes" – Kim Carnes
- "Stars On 45 Medley" – Stars On 45 (1)
- "The One That You Love" – Air Supply (1)
- "Jessie's Girl" – Rick Springfield
- "Endless Love" – Diana Ross & Lionel Richie (9)
- "Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)" – Christopher Cross (3)
- "Private Eyes" – Daryl Hall & John Oates
- "Physical" – Olivia Newton-John
New books
change- Ill Seen Ill Said – Samuel Beckett
- Arabian Nights and Days – Naguib Mahfouz
- La Bicyclette Bleue (The Blue Bicycle) – Régine Deforges
- Bliss – Peter Carey
- Creation – Gore Vidal
- Cujo – Stephen King
- Distant Star – Samuel R. Delany
- Famous Last Words – Timothy Findley
- Flames Across the Border – Pierre Berton
- Giants of the Ottawa Valley – Joan Finnegan
- The Glitter Dome – Joseph Wambaugh
- The Golden Age of Science Fiction – Kingsley Amis
- Goodbye, Janette – Harold Robbins
- Gorky Park – Martin Cruz Smith
- Hotel New Hampshire – John Irving
- An Indecent Obsession – Colleen McCullough
- Licence Renewed – John Gardner
- Little Miss – Roger Hargreaves
- Masquerade – Kit Williams
- Midnight's Children – Salman Rushdie
- No Time for Tears – Cynthia Freeman
- Noble House – James Clavell
- Other People: A Mystery Story – Martin Amis
- Red Dragon – Thomas Harris
- Strata – Terry Pratchett
- Tar Baby – Toni Morrison
- The Third Deadly Sin – Lawrence Sanders
Wikimedia Commons has media related to 1981.